Thread formerly known as Hatch day is today

[JSelvaggi]

Long night. 1 baby hatched, the other died in the shell trying to get out. Hope the others make it out alive. My first loss and I'm heart broke

Michelle-

I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. Sending you lots of love and best wishes for the others. <3

 

[EJPedrazzi]

I am so sorry to hear that Michelle.

I, too, think my last 4 duck eggs are dead

. I heard one of them chirping away in there the other day and nothing for over 24 hours, no pipping or anything. I had a feeling they were dead and I just candled and nothing. It looks like they drowned? The air cell is much bigger on one side, almost going down the whole side of the egg.

I upped the humidity and was spritzing with water because the first one was shrink wrapped. They were hatching 5 days early so hadn't gone into lockdown. It was a bit all over the place at the end because we randomly had eggs under our hens that needed to be brought into the incubator, so we've been hatching for a week, hence the bator has been opened and closed on and off for the last week. Not good, and got the same results.

It's heartbreaking, and even worse thinking it's possibly something I did. But that's the way it goes. I am grateful we have 3 healthy little chicks and one duckling - better than nothing, eh?

 

[RiverGoddess]

Oh, and I had a gosling hatch today.

Cute buggers! What kind of Gosling?
So you are at two extremes ! Pouring Rain or Scorching Sun

I have only 3 Emus, lost a few in hatch & lost one for some unknown reason. I have one sold this weekend, and will keep 2 males to eat later this year.

I am mainly hatching Goslings this year. Getting a very beautiful flock of Dewlaps (Buff & Grey) & Some Dewlap White Africans & Brown Africans. I have been buying eggs from IanUtah this year. She has like 30 geese, Remember when she rescued all those from Cali?

Ok, here's a question...

Can ducklings swim? If so, when can they start? We bought them little swimming pools but want to make sure it's ok to use.

Yes they can but I use VERY VERY shallow wading pools with a few accessible ramps. They are cute but not to smart as babies and will drown easily.

They can swim, but for short periods and need to be supervised. They aren't waterproof unless they have a momma duck. They'll waterlog pretty quickly and sink, and also will need a ramp to get out when they get tired. Once they have their feathers in they'll have their own oils and be fine to swim as they wish.

 

[JulieNKC]

Thanks Julie NKC!

Well, I came in this morning to THREE adorable, cheeping, active ducklings!!!! Two Pekins and 1 Rouen. They are just precious!




But my fluffy yellow one has strange looking feet. What can I do?

Long night. 1 baby hatched, the other died in the shell trying to get out. Hope the others make it out alive. My first loss and I'm heart broke

Sometimes they just don't make it. Sorry, it sucks when it happens.

Cute buggers! What kind of Gosling?
So you are at two extremes ! Pouring Rain or Scorching Sun

I have only 3 Emus, lost a few in hatch & lost one for some unknown reason. I have one sold this weekend, and will keep 2 males to eat later this year.

I am mainly hatching Goslings this year. Getting a very beautiful flock of Dewlaps (Buff & Grey) & Some Dewlap White Africans & Brown Africans. I have been buying eggs from IanUtah this year. She has like 30 geese, Remember when she rescued all those from Cali?


Yes they can but I use VERY VERY shallow wading pools with a few accessible ramps. They are cute but not to smart as babies and will drown easily.

She is a mutt.

I've decided breeding geese isn't something I like. I don't want to deal with the ganders and their attitude. I like being able to let my geese out to graze and not having to watch them around the kids or other birds, etc. Plus the girls are much quieter, and i am in a residential area so that's something I have to keep in mind too. So I'll be keeping one of the girls I hatch, hoping for a gray one that likes hugs like her momma, lol. I figure if I really want to hatch geese next season (because they are so fun how could you not want to hatch goslings, lol) there's always shipped eggs. I want to concentrate on my ducks mainly as far as breeding.

 

[michellemcfeely]

I am so sorry to hear that Michelle.

I, too, think my last 4 duck eggs are dead

. I heard one of them chirping away in there the other day and nothing for over 24 hours, no pipping or anything. I had a feeling they were dead and I just candled and nothing. It looks like they drowned? The air cell is much bigger on one side, almost going down the whole side of the egg.

I upped the humidity and was spritzing with water because the first one was shrink wrapped. They were hatching 5 days early so hadn't gone into lockdown. It was a bit all over the place at the end because we randomly had eggs under our hens that needed to be brought into the incubator, so we've been hatching for a week, hence the bator has been opened and closed on and off for the last week. Not good, and got the same results.

It's heartbreaking, and even worse thinking it's possibly something I did. But that's the way it goes. I am grateful we have 3 healthy little chicks and one duckling - better than nothing, eh?

I'm not sure what happened with it, it looks like it got shrink wrapped dont know why the humidity was good the temp has been steady I just don't know. I blame myself if I had stayed awake and helped that baby I might have been able to save it. I do have 2 hatched now with 2 more close behind. I still have 7 other eggs but I'm not sure what is going on with them. I dont know how you tell if the chick is alive or if it has passed in the egg at this point with them.

I'm curious how do you all handle it when you have varied hatch times with the eggs you have in the incubator?

 

[michellemcfeely]

Michelle-

I am so incredibly sorry for your loss. Sending you lots of love and best wishes for the others. <3

Thank you, it's been a long night/morning. I now have 2 that have hatched, with 2 more close behind. Not sure about the other 7 eggs I have going nothing is happening with them at this point in time. Not my best hatch 4 out of 12, I got 9 out of my 12 calls to hatch.

 

[RiverGoddess]

Sometimes they just don't make it. Sorry, it sucks when it happens.
She is a mutt.

I've decided breeding geese isn't something I like. I don't want to deal with the ganders and their attitude. I like being able to let my geese out to graze and not having to watch them around the kids or other birds, etc. Plus the girls are much quieter, and i am in a residential area so that's something I have to keep in mind too. So I'll be keeping one of the girls I hatch, hoping for a gray one that likes hugs like her momma, lol. I figure if I really want to hatch geese next season (because they are so fun how could you not want to hatch goslings, lol) there's always shipped eggs. I want to concentrate on my ducks mainly as far as breeding.

Well I love hatching the goslings! They are my fave! Except Emu's ~ THEY ARE THE BEST when they hatch ~ which actually makes them less fun, because they are so hard to hatch

If you want eggs from me just Hollah! You know I will hook ya up

I have In LD today
6 Misc. Duck,
6 cayugas,
2 Embden goose,
1 Roosevelt goose,
1 Sebastopol
2 WHITE PEACOCKS !,
1 African Dewlap (that I reallly want to be a boy),
2 Grey/Buff Dewlaps,
And 2 Fritter Goose eggs!


I have staggered over the next couple weeks....
12 Cayuga from my flock ~ C'mon BLUES !!!
60 African & Chinese Goose eggs !
7 Roosevelt Goose Eggs
17 Dewlap Goose eggs
&
29 OHIKI's !!!
And I think thats about it???

My Franklin & Roosevelt Pair
FRANKLIN




ROOSEVELT

(my fun project pair)

My Sebbie Pair Tootsie & Rollie

TOOTSIE



ROLLIE

 

[michellemcfeely]

So far I have 5 beautiful black east indie babies. Sure hope the other 7 eggs are viable

 

[JulieNKC]

Well I love hatching the goslings! They are my fave! Except Emu's ~ THEY ARE THE BEST when they hatch ~ which actually makes them less fun, because they are so hard to hatch

If you want eggs from me just Hollah! You know I will hook ya up

I have In LD today
6 Misc. Duck,
6 cayugas,
2 Embden goose,
1 Roosevelt goose,
1 Sebastopol
2 WHITE PEACOCKS !,
1 African Dewlap (that I reallly want to be a boy),
2 Grey/Buff Dewlaps,
And 2 Fritter Goose eggs!


I have staggered over the next couple weeks....
12 Cayuga from my flock ~ C'mon BLUES !!!
60 African & Chinese Goose eggs !
7 Roosevelt Goose Eggs
17 Dewlap Goose eggs
&
29 OHIKI's !!!
And I think thats about it???

My Franklin & Roosevelt Pair
FRANKLIN




ROOSEVELT

(my fun project pair)

My Sebbie Pair Tootsie & Rollie

TOOTSIE



ROLLIE

Ok, I figured out what a roosevelt goose is (gorgeous!), but what the heck is a fritter goose lol?

So far I have 5 beautiful black east indie babies. Sure hope the other 7 eggs are viable

Yay!

 

[mominoz]

I am trying to keep up witht he Duck and Goose hatching threads; I am on batch 3 of my staggered hatches, using to Hovabator 1602N, one as a hatcher. I have learned alot about using them , mostly thru last years failures and some experimentation, found there are lots of variables, and good thing I am home, as I hav eot check on them 3-5 time s a day

I am doing better this hatch. I found my Dutch Hookbills easy to hatch... but they are early....got 6 of those first batch and only one Silky Duck. 2 of the females are almost 2, one id almost a year, and the drakes are all last years babies..so fertility is iffy. One drake /duck produced no fertile eggs, so I swapped him with another. Still not sure. I let them set a couple eggs of their own and other species, and none hatched. May have been nest material issue...or just bad luck. I did get4 silkies out of group 2, 4 black/black bibbed, and a snowy or fawn, which makes 2. My white pair haven't rpoduced a live one yet.(had 2 die in shells in group1 , not a good hatch rate out of that one..
This group 3 is mostly Penciled and Gray Runners, maybe a silky egg or two in there, and 1 goose egg left. One had hatched (3 goose eggs under a setting goose, but rain was terrible and one pipped in small end, so I brough them inside to hatche. Onehatched and managed to get his head up inside the wafer /heater, I guess he stood on the eggs. Messed up the temp in hatcher after I removed his body too, temp went to 104, but I caught it and brought it down and I am getting a pretty good hatch % wise. (better than the 5% I got first time!) I have 2 penciled runners hatch yesterday, which I moved to brooder in garage.I now have 2 whites, 2 more penciled and a gray last check(won't move them out till tomorrow.) (So glad 2 grays hatched, I only have one drake..and they seem to be hard to get: These are mine form Holdereads SQ, last ones he sold 2 years or is it 3 now?...only had one female hatch last year (2 attempts, bad power outages). He has 3 females and not all are fertile...
And the oddest thing , was I got them into lockdown, rather late, 3 days ago, as I heard cheeping, and checked my dates and was off a couple days

. I had been doing a dry hatch (35-48% as it is Ga. ! Not the 48-58% I had the group before. But it seems to be working better for my washed runner eggs.I also turn 3X a day and spray shells , usually every day after the first week or so. I have had 2 spikes of 104...but not for long. I also had a problem a couple days ago, on my incubator on groups 4 &5. For some reason, temp dropped and read 88degrees! in the morning a couple days ago ,and it took me 24 hours to get it back up to 102.I had removed the 3rd batch, and added batch 5- 2 days earlier.... (had been quite stable...but I think the waffer got messed up when removing lid, this has happened before...( fell off once!) someone said that tilting them sideways can mess them up. So you have to take them off 3 times a day to turn, and try to keep them stable

. I really see why they say it is an art... I have tried heat sinks too...not sold one way or another.. wonder if they messed up the low temp. As it stablized better after I removed them...but seemed to help in another situation....well, we'll see what babies I have by tomorrow. I am noticing alot of blood on shells, wonder if the high temp spike caused that . They are hatching on their own, but none of the Hookbills, 2 geese or silkies had blood on shells... (last 2 hatches).but their hatch temp was about 2 degrees lower (had a crack/leak I fixed). The 2 white runners I guess I will sell as soon as I can. I got a white last year out of my SQ penciled runners, so I went ahead and matched her with another drake hoping the penciled would still show up. But ,guess not...as there are 2 white babies in there.It is showing dominance and I am not breeding whites intentionally.